The Kurds go to Ireland
The Kurds go to Ireland
A Kurdish Film Festival will be organized in Carrick on Shannon in Ireland between 1-3 Octobers. Besides full- and short-length films and documentaries, a panel discussion will be held at the festival about the problems of Kurdish movie.
The Irish, who have much in common with the Kurds in terms of political history, will meet Kurdish cinema with the film festival between 1-3 Octobers in Carrick on Shannon, the capital city of Leitrim region. The festival, which is organized by Leitrim City Hall, will display a presentation of 20 full- and short-length films and documentaries. While the festival program was prepared by Mustafa Gündoðdu, who is among the organizer of New York Kurdish Film Festivals and still coordinator, all films in the festival will be shown for free.
The festival program includes full-length films like Min Dit by Miraz Bezar, Welcome by famous French director Philippe Lioret and Whisper with the Wind by Shahram Alidi; and documentaries like Close Up Kurdistan by Yüksel Yavuz, David the Tolhildan by Mano Khalil and Kurdi, which tells the exile story of ex peshmerga Peri Ýbrahim and his return to back to Kurdistan.
Recently completed short-length film Rojin by woman director Chiman Rahimi from East Kurdistan will also take place among 11 short-length movies on the program. There will also be a panel discussion about Kurdish movie with the participation of Kurdish directors Miraz Bezar, Binevþa Berivan, Chiman Rahimi and Peri Ýbrahim and the British director of Kurdi, Doug Aubrey.
‘KURDISH DIRECTORS ARE UNDER PRESSURE’
The reason why the festival is organized by Leitrim City Hall is attention-grabbing. Although the population of Kurdish people living in Leitrim City is not more than a hundred, the city hall, in one sense, gestures to them and organizes this festival to show them that they are being thought of. On his message for the program, festival organizer Mustafa Gündoðdu remarked that there are no Kurdish film festivals in countries like Turkey, Iran and Syria, where there are millions of Kurdish people. Stating that Kurdish directors find pressure and censor in suchlike countries and exposed to pressure even in international areas; Gündoðdu added that the initiative of Leitrim City Hall is much significant.
Aftaw Alla Karami writes in the festival blog (http://kffcarrickonshannon.wordpress.com/) about the Kurdish community in Carrick on Shannon.
In 1979 the Kurdish people in Iran took part in the revolution against the Shah of Iran’s monarchy. Following the success of the revolution the Royal regime was deposed and the new regime came to power. Although the new regime had promised greater freedom and a better quality of life for all the people of Iran, including Kurds, they didn’t keep their word. Their leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, ordered the holy war against the Kurdish nation only a few months after the revolution.
Many Kurdish towns and villages were destroyed and thousands of innocent Kurdish people killed. In that time many of the Kurdish people were forced to leave their home and search for safety.
A number of Kurdish people from the towns and villages in the Kermanshah province sought refuge in Iraq. The Iraqi government placed them in different camps in the north of Iraq until 1982 and then transferred them involuntarily to the Al Tash desert in the west of Iraq. The people had a very bad life there and they spent many years without any help from any organisations or any country.
In 2003 when the USA attacked Iraq and the Sadam regime fell, security totally disappeared in Iraq, especially in Al Tash camp.
There was little water and electricity in the ensuing months. And day and night gunfire and grenade blasts echoed through the camp.(UNHCR)
Thousands of people were forced to leave the camp and find better place for themselves. They moved to Jordan and remained in camps there for three years. Finally, they were accepted by a number of the European countries as Programme Refugees with the help of UNHCR. Ireland was one of these countries. In June 2006 Ireland accepted 200 Kurdish people from one of the Jordanian camps.
The Kurdish people, who are living in Carrick-on-Shannon, are from that camp.
With the contribution of Berna Ozgencil
The Irish, who have much in common with the Kurds in terms of political history, will meet Kurdish cinema with the film festival between 1-3 Octobers in Carrick on Shannon, the capital city of Leitrim region. The festival, which is organized by Leitrim City Hall, will display a presentation of 20 full- and short-length films and documentaries. While the festival program was prepared by Mustafa Gündoðdu, who is among the organizer of New York Kurdish Film Festivals and still coordinator, all films in the festival will be shown for free.
The festival program includes full-length films like Min Dit by Miraz Bezar, Welcome by famous French director Philippe Lioret and Whisper with the Wind by Shahram Alidi; and documentaries like Close Up Kurdistan by Yüksel Yavuz, David the Tolhildan by Mano Khalil and Kurdi, which tells the exile story of ex peshmerga Peri Ýbrahim and his return to back to Kurdistan.
Recently completed short-length film Rojin by woman director Chiman Rahimi from East Kurdistan will also take place among 11 short-length movies on the program. There will also be a panel discussion about Kurdish movie with the participation of Kurdish directors Miraz Bezar, Binevþa Berivan, Chiman Rahimi and Peri Ýbrahim and the British director of Kurdi, Doug Aubrey.
‘KURDISH DIRECTORS ARE UNDER PRESSURE’
The reason why the festival is organized by Leitrim City Hall is attention-grabbing. Although the population of Kurdish people living in Leitrim City is not more than a hundred, the city hall, in one sense, gestures to them and organizes this festival to show them that they are being thought of. On his message for the program, festival organizer Mustafa Gündoðdu remarked that there are no Kurdish film festivals in countries like Turkey, Iran and Syria, where there are millions of Kurdish people. Stating that Kurdish directors find pressure and censor in suchlike countries and exposed to pressure even in international areas; Gündoðdu added that the initiative of Leitrim City Hall is much significant.
Aftaw Alla Karami writes in the festival blog (http://kffcarrickonshannon.wordpress.com/) about the Kurdish community in Carrick on Shannon.
In 1979 the Kurdish people in Iran took part in the revolution against the Shah of Iran’s monarchy. Following the success of the revolution the Royal regime was deposed and the new regime came to power. Although the new regime had promised greater freedom and a better quality of life for all the people of Iran, including Kurds, they didn’t keep their word. Their leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, ordered the holy war against the Kurdish nation only a few months after the revolution.
Many Kurdish towns and villages were destroyed and thousands of innocent Kurdish people killed. In that time many of the Kurdish people were forced to leave their home and search for safety.
A number of Kurdish people from the towns and villages in the Kermanshah province sought refuge in Iraq. The Iraqi government placed them in different camps in the north of Iraq until 1982 and then transferred them involuntarily to the Al Tash desert in the west of Iraq. The people had a very bad life there and they spent many years without any help from any organisations or any country.
In 2003 when the USA attacked Iraq and the Sadam regime fell, security totally disappeared in Iraq, especially in Al Tash camp.
There was little water and electricity in the ensuing months. And day and night gunfire and grenade blasts echoed through the camp.(UNHCR)
Thousands of people were forced to leave the camp and find better place for themselves. They moved to Jordan and remained in camps there for three years. Finally, they were accepted by a number of the European countries as Programme Refugees with the help of UNHCR. Ireland was one of these countries. In June 2006 Ireland accepted 200 Kurdish people from one of the Jordanian camps.
The Kurdish people, who are living in Carrick-on-Shannon, are from that camp.
With the contribution of Berna Ozgencil
